


A Father's Love

by darkest_nights_will_end



Series: Hollingstwins [2]
Category: Degrassi, Degrassi the Next Generation, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse, Protective Siblings, Protective!Miles, Sibling Fluff, Twins, Very Brief Violence, protective!Hunter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 23:19:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7335073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkest_nights_will_end/pseuds/darkest_nights_will_end
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Miles isn't the only Hollingsworth child their dad has harmed. When Mr. Hollingsworth hurts Frankie in frustration, Hunter and Miles provide the love and support their father had not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Incident

Hunter and Frankie hadn’t believed Miles when he first insisted their dad was abusive. They knew their dad could be a bit tough on them, but his campaign was important and it was crucial the kids stay on their best behavior. Miles didn’t exactly have the best track record when it came to making right choices, and they assumed his vendetta was a byproduct of being told he couldn’t do whatever he wanted. His brother tried time and time again to warn the twins, but Frankie and Hunter both shrugged it off as Miles trying once again to get the twins to turn. It wasn’t until the Degrassi Nudes Scandal came out that the twins saw their father’s true colors.

 

Frankie was in her room, on her computer, trying to report the false claims that she had started the scandal. Frankie had been afraid of this happening, and of course, it was her that was being forced to take the heat. She had regretted being a part of the program from the start, but everything went to hell as soon as she stuck up for herself. Unfortunately, she was getting nowhere with trying to detach her name from the scandal.

 

She was pulled from her thoughts by a knock at the door. 

 

“Come in,” she called. The door opened to reveal her father. He walked in, looking upset. Frankie stood up to meet him, closing her laptop. Her father looked annoyed, and wasted no time with pleasantries, instead getting straight to the point.

 

“Francesca, more and more people are finding out about this naked photo fundraiser that  _ you  _ started. Do you know what this is doing for my campaign? Miles does enough as it is, I really don’t need you becoming a delinquent as well,” he said. 

 

“Dad, I didn’t start it! I didn’t even want to be a part of it, but I felt like I had no other choice,” Frankie pleaded with him, to no avail.

 

“Then explain to me why it’s only  _ your _ name being released,” Mr. Hollingsworth’s tone was becoming louder and more hostile.

 

“I don’t know, somebody is trying to blame it on me! I’m trying to figure it out but it’s not easy,” her father sighed and moved towards her.

 

“Francesca, I do everything for you and your brothers. And this is how you repay me? Do you understand that if I lose the election, it will be your fault? I thought you were good, but you’ve made it clear that Hunter is the only one of you three that has any of my respect right now,” Frankie’s eyes watered at her father’s words and tried once again to defend herself.

 

“Dad, I know it was a mistake but you have to believe I didn’t start this! I didn’t want it to happen at all in the first place, it’s not my fault!” Her father suddenly grabbed her arms roughly, and slammed Frankie up against the wall she had been standing in front of. She gasped in pain, but her dad either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

 

“I am sick of your lies. If you don’t figure out how to hide this from the press, the consequences will be worse than you could ever imagine,” he was practically shaking in rage at this point, leaving Frankie to hit the wall more than once. She didn’t react, too paralyzed with fear. She couldn’t imagine her older brother dealing with this every day. Frankie was about to respond, but another voice rang out before she could.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” It was her twin brother, Frankie sighed in relief. She silently begged Hunter to help her instead of trying to stay on their father’s good side. He quickly walked over to her and their father, forcefully removing their dad’s hands from his sister. He didn’t put up a fight, immediately stepping back when he was made aware of Hunter’s presence. He tried to use his political charm on his son.

 

“Your sister and I were just having a chat about her little stunt with the nude photos. It’s nothing to worry about, Hunter,” he said. Hunter moved so he served as a buffer between his father and sister.

 

“She said she didn’t do it, why can’t you believe her? And even if she did, you can’t put your hands on her like that,” Hunter said, before asking the armour-piercing question.  “Dad, is your campaign more important than your own kids?”

 

“Of course not! But you know how difficult things with Miles have been, I can’t afford to let my other two kids do anything that could cost me the election,” Hunter rolled his eyes as Mr. Hollingsworth became more defensive.

 

“Slamming my sister against the wall isn’t going to change what happened!” Hunter hadn’t meant to say it as harshly as he did, but his anger was increasing as his father continued to make pathetic excuses. He wanted to get physical with him, maybe do to him what he did to his sister, but Hunter knew it would do nothing but anger their father more and scare Frankie, so he refrained.

 

“It was an accident, I didn’t mean t-”

 

“You should go,” Hunter interrupted. Mr. Hollingsworth looked between the two twins before finally giving in.

 

“Okay. Okay, I’ll go,” he put his hands up and head down as he backed away before finally exiting. Once he was gone, Hunter shut the door before turning to his twin, who hadn’t spoken since he’d entered the room. 

 

“Did he do anything else to you?” He asked, anger still prominent in his voice. She was rubbing her arms, which had red marks in the shape of handprints. Hunter knew his sister would be wearing long sleeve shirts for a while to cover the bruises that would inevitably form on her skin.

 

“No, that was all. It’s alright, Hunter, I kind of deserve-” Hunter cut her off.

 

“Do not finish that sentence. He has no right to harm you in any way, shape, or form, no matter what. Do you understand?” He was forceful, but there was a clear tone of concern in his voice. He waited for her to meet his eyes so she could see how serious he was. 

 

“Yes, Hunter,” she nodded. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Hunter returned the gesture, putting his hands on her back. He noticed her flinch and he pulled back quickly, choosing instead to put an arm around her shoulders. He saw the pain written on his twin’s face, causing him to feel his anger rise even more, but he didn’t want to scare Frankie. He suddenly realized he had no idea how to help in this situation, but luckily he knew somebody who probably would: Miles. 

 

“Frankie? I’ll be right back, okay? I’m going to get some help for your injuries, but I’m coming right back,” he said. Frankie nodded, and Hunter dashed out of her room, heading to his brother’s. Hunter wished he had believed Miles at his first instance that their father wasn’t world’s greatest dad. Maybe if he had, Frankie wouldn’t have been hurt. But Hunter had more important things to think about at the moment, like how to help her. 

 

Everything felt so uncertain, but if there was one thing Hunter knew, it was that his siblings would not be hurt by their dad again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of a series exploring the dynamic between Hunter and Frankie.
> 
> I am taking requests, so please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see!


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles and Hunter work together to help their sister after her encounter with their dad.

 

Hunter prayed Miles was alone in his room as he walked through their house, for once cursing it’s size. He also made sure to keep his eyes and ears out for their father, but he had noticed no trace of him. Hunter allowed his anger to return as he thought about what he had seen. How could somebody do that to their own child? To his _ twin _ ? And especially to someone like Frankie, who, despite how annoying she could be, always had her heart in the right place. 

 

Miles’s door was open, and Hunter didn’t bother with knocking. Miles was lying on his bed, taking a nap. The younger boy strided over to the bed and shook his sleeping form. Miles awoke, looking at his brother confused.

 

“Hunter, what are you doing?” He asked groggily, as he rubbed his eyes.

 

“Dad hurt Frankie and I need your help, I don’t know what to do,” Miles sat straight up before the sentence was out of Hunter’s mouth.

 

“Wait, he hurt her? How badly?” Miles was awake and out of bed, trying to figure out the best course of action. 

 

“He grabbed her and slammed her on the wall. Her arms are sore and bruising and she flinched when I touched her back,” Miles sighed and grimaced at the depiction of abuse his brother was describing. He knew all too well what Frankie’s pain felt like.

 

“Okay, we need to go get some ice. It’ll help any swelling go down and it should lessen the coloring of the bruises,” Miles and Hunter walked out of his room immediately and to the kitchen, where they grabbed the necessary equipment. When they came back to Frankie’s room, Hunter noticed she had not moved since he left her. He handed Miles the ice packs he had been holding and strided over to her. He bent down, meeting her eye level.

 

“I asked Miles for help. He’s going to look at your injuries and make sure they aren’t too bad, and then we’re going to ice them, okay?” Frankie nodded. Hunter stood up and offered his hand to his twin, which she graciously took. Miles, who was trying to asses the situation from afar, joined his siblings. He put the ice packs down on the nearest surface before addressing his sister.

 

“Franks, are you okay?” She shrugged.

 

“He never even said sorry,” she said, as if it were the worst part of the ordeal. Miles grimaced.

 

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way. He has issues, but that doesn’t mean he can take it out on you.”

 

“He can’t take it out on you either,” Frankie pointed out.

 

“Better me than you. Older siblings exist for a reason,” he shrugged. “So the worst of it is on your back, right?” She nodded, “Okay, turn around, I’m just going to look at it and then we’ll set you up with an ice pack.”

 

Frankie did as she was asked. Miles unzipped her dress part way, letting the sleeves fall down slightly so her upper back was revealed. Miles and Hunter both gasped. Her back was a mixture of black, blue, and red, the bruises having already began forming. Hunter clenched his fists, but calmed himself down thinking by thinking rationally. Right now, she was top priority.

 

“Frankie? I’m just going to touch them to make sure it’s only bruising,” Miles said. He tried to be as gentle as he could, but she still gasped in pain when he pushed on one of the marks. Hunter stepped forward as soon as the noise escaped Frankie’s mouth.

 

“What the hell, Miles? You’re hurting her, stop!” Hunter was about to touch his arm, but Miles stopped him.

 

“Hunter, I don’t want to do this either, but we have to just in case,” Miles spoke with a caring but firm tone. Hunter reluctantly agreed and stepped back. Miles finished the process as quickly yet carefully as he could. 

 

To everyone’s relief, Frankie’s bruises would heal eventually and nothing more serious was wrong with her. Hunter led her to her bed so she could lie down, while Miles set the ice packs up and gave instructions on when to rotate them. Hunter made a mental note to check in every so often to make sure she was following their brother’s directions. Miles bent down, giving his sister a light kiss on the forehead before exiting the room. Hunter could feel the concealed anger his brother held for their father, and he could almost guarantee Miles would be looking for the parental unit. 

 

Hunter sat on the end of the bed, looking at Frankie. He had never been good at small talk, but luckily, she spoke up first.

 

“I guess Miles was right about Dad, huh? I wonder what he’s done to him,” She tried to smile, but it was sad and forced. He didn’t know how she could even attempt to smile after what had happened to her.

 

“Yeah, he was right. It really puts everything into perspective.”

 

“We should apologize.”

 

“We will. But not now, for now you just need to lie here and rest,” there was an awkward pause. 

“Please be careful around him. Try not to be alone with him if you can avoid it. Miles or I will be happy to stand by you,” Frankie smiled, a real one this time.

 

“Thanks, Hunter. You need to be careful too, though. I know you get angry sometimes, but please don’t take it out on him, it’ll only make things worse,” his twin knew him so well. 

 

“I won’t, I promise. Do you need anything?” Hunter asked. Frankie bit her lip, and avoided eye contact as she spoke.

 

“Will you stay here for a while if you aren’t busy? Please?” Hunter smiled.

 

“Of course,” her bed was big enough that he lied down next to her with no trouble. 

 

The twins spent the next hour happily chatting about anything and everything they could. It reminded them both of how close they used to be.It was nice, both siblings silently agreed, and hopefully they would do it again under more pleasant circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All abuse is serious, and I wanted to showcase that. If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse of any form, please know that help is out there. There are many different resources that exist to help.


End file.
